


Wonderwall

by ellieangeli



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: 1990s, Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Beverly Marsh & Richie Tozier Are Best Friends, Beverly Marsh Knows Everything, Boys In Love, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier-centric, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, Family Drama, First Crush, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, Gay Richie Tozier, Heavy Angst, Humor, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Making Out, Minor Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Minor Bill Denbrough/Beverly Marsh, Mutual Pining, New Kid Eddie Kaspbrak, Non-Graphic Violence, Oblivious Eddie Kaspbrak, Period-Typical Homophobia, Richie Tozier is Whipped, Richie Tozier is a Mess, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Teen Angst, Teenage Drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-09-29 11:33:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17202692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellieangeli/pseuds/ellieangeli
Summary: Eddie Kaspbrak is a fourteen year old five foot two hypochondriac who recently moved from a private school in New York City to little old Derry, Maine. Back at his apartment in Queens, Eddie was almost never allowed outside and grew up with a permanent fear of anything remotely dangerous.Richie Tozier is a fourteen year old five foot ten mess who has lived in Derry his whole life and grew up going to a summer camp with his best friends Stanley Uris and Bill Denbrough. He's a straight-A dork with a wild personality and a mouth that never stops talking. He's the type of kid who loves cheap thrills and would do anything for a change in his boring Derry life.It's the summer of 1990 when Eddie and Richie meet for the first time at Camp White Rock, where everything changes. Dark secrets are revealed as they try to cope with their feelings for each other in a homophobic town.





	1. Rain In Summer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! This is the first work I've ever published to AO3, but I have written many different kinds of submitted writings and short stories outside the fandom. I started working on this story awhile ago so I'm finally posting it on here because I love this fandom & am super excited to see what you guys think! Comments are greatly appreciated. Thanks :)

**_______________**

**R I C H I E**

 

**June 22, 1990**

 

There was always something calming about rain in June for Richie Tozier. 

Most people hated it when it rained in the summer. Rain meant canceled plans with friends and days dedicated to staying indoors and figuring out how to pass time. Most people complained so much you’d think their entire day was ruined just by a couple of rain drops and gray clouds.

This was not the case with sleepy-eyed Richie, who opened his bedroom window on a Sunday morning to hear the satisfying sound of rain pouring down on rooftops. Goosebumps traveled down his pajama-clad body as he sat at his desk beneath the window, watching the street below him. The breeze felt cooler than usual sweltering summer heat, carrying a scent of rain on pavement.

Derry wasn’t all that pretty of a place but there was something sort of quaint about it when people weren’t out and about. It was relaxing to watch the large, green oak trees from neighbor’s yards sway in the wind and the black street lamps glisten in fresh rain. Rain made everything look new again, like people didn’t really live here. It was just a well-kept ghost town.

Richie kind of liked that feeling. It was a free and calming thought, the rain simply washed everyone in town away and Richie didn’t have to worry about anyone but himself. He didn’t have to be responsible for his mother, or take care of his sister who was leaving for college this fall. He didn’t have to be responsible for picking fights with the Bowers gang when they insulted his friends, he didn’t even have to worry about Bowers in the first place.

The only thing is, rain in June never lasts long. The white sky eventually parts and the blistering sun would come and beat down on Richie’s pale back and shoulders. It always left him with horrible sunburns that kept him awake at night tossing and turning but never able to get rid of the stinging pain.

Richie figured he had one summer left to escape for a few months to be a kid with no responsibilities, and that was the summer of 1990. It was the halfway point between middle school and high school. Richie’s sweet freedom was a summer camp called Camp White Rock, an hour drive out into the wilderness. Richie and his best friends, Bill and Stan, went to camp every year since they were nine. 

Today was Richie’s last day in Derry for the summer. Camp starts tomorrow, which means he will stuff a duffel bag full of shit into his dad’s brand-new Cadillac Brougham at seven a.m., then drive for half an hour while Richie ignores his dad and listens to  _ The Cure  _ on his Walkman instead. 

As for today, Richie got to go to his favorite diner in town before he had to leave. It was kind of a tradition the Toziers did every summer.

“Did you make sure to pack extra underwear, Richie?” His mom sat across the booth from him with a worried expression on her face.

Richie kind of liked how his mom began to worry about him a lot more after his parent’s divorce. It was nice, having someone who cared for him all the time now.

“Of course I did. You know they have washing and drying machines there, right?”

“I know, I just want to make sure you’re prepared.” She gave him a small smile and looked over to his dad sitting on the other side of the booth. Richie’s parents divorced three years ago, but they both still lived around Derry and communicate well with each other. His mom kept the old house Richie’s grew up in all his life and his Dad bought a brand new, pricey house just outside of Derry. Richie went back and forth between their houses all the time. One month at Mom’s, next month at Dad’s, then back to Mom’s, and so on. That’s how it’s been for the past three years.

His dad had a new fiance, too. She didn’t come to dinner with them which was perfectly fine with Richie. Claudia was a snob who only liked his dad for his money, and his dad only liked her for her body. Richie’s obviously mad at his dad for proposing to her but there’s not much he can do.

“So are you and Claudia getting married right when I come back, then?” Richie didn’t make an effort to face his dad. He stared down at his untouched burger with a solemn expression.

“Yes, the plans are all made. Claudie wanted to do it earlier in the summer, but you don’t get back from summer camp until August.” 

Richie only nodded, watching his dad’s fancy watch reflect the light from the diner. He could see his mom’s uncomfortable expression as they talked about her ex-husband’s wedding plans. It’s been three years and she hasn’t shown any interest in a man besides his father. Sometimes Richie still thinks she’s in love with him because of their marriage ending so suddenly.

Richie’s parents have always been pretty good to him. Warm, welcoming, but not all up in his space. They keep their distance from him, and sometimes it can be a little lonely, but they do their jobs as parents. In return, Richie gets good grades and doesn’t try to act like a needy child. They’ve never been too close, though. Never understood Richie’s sense of humor or his interests. They had grown-up jobs of their own so it was hard for them to find time to get to know their son. Richie knew he wasn’t their number one priority and he was okay with that.

All that mattered was that Richie did well in school so he could apply for scholarships to finally get the hell out of this shitty little town.

 

**________________**

**E D D I E**

 

**June 8, 1990**

 

There wasn’t many things Eddie Kaspbrak had done in his life. Not compared to the kids in his class who go on adventures every day. Chris Holland takes the subway to get home from school every day, and Henry Atkin’s family go to incredible places for vacation every year. Last year they went to Japan and now they’re going to Thailand. Then there’s Oliver Watson, who has a new girlfriend almost every day and gets drunk and high at high school parties he shouldn’t be at.

Eddie has never experienced anything close to what his friends have. His mom always tells him about how the subway is full of creeps and that it’s too dangerous to go to far-away countries with all sorts of diseases and that girls are dirty and alcohol ruins people’s lives, and to never  _ ever  _ go near them.

Because he has no one else to listen to, Eddie obeys his mother. He doesn’t question or talk back against her strict rules. He hasn’t experienced the taste of freedom, or the independence in thinking for himself, or the falling feeling in your chest when you kiss someone you really like. Everyone who knows him already understands that he will never get it, because he’s Sonia Kaspbrak’s son. And her son wears sparkly-clean sneakers with tube socks and freshly washed polo shirts tucked into shorts. Her son always has his hair combed perfectly like a nice young man and is driven to and from school every day. Her son uses up an entire bottle of hand sanitizer every week, and a fanny pack filled with things he never needs but always carries. Her son receives straight A’s and only hangs out with friends on the weekends. Her son is five foot two and has a bedtime of nine thirty.

And that’s just who he is. The asthmatic goody two-shoes girly boy that everyone calls him. Eddie couldn’t take offense to the name-calling because most of it was true. He was proud to be Sonya’s boy because she always told him he was the best raised boy in all New York.

No matter what came out of Sonya’s mouth, Eddie believed her. And that was that.

Eddie wasn’t surprised when he found his last day of private school in New York pinned up against a locker. Rough hands held his arms tight as the small boy’s eyes widened in fear.

“Heard you’re finally leaving school, faggot.” Brandon Miller had been Eddie’s bully for quite awhile. He was the first to call him a ‘faggot’ and soon after everyone started calling him that. The name spread like wildfire but it didn’t make sense to Eddie. He knew what being a ‘fag’ meant, but he was pretty sure he had never liked a guy before. He didn’t even know what it was like to have a crush on someone at all. It wasn’t a topic he considered all that often.

“Why do you call me that?” Eddie asked as he tried to ignore the pain where Brandon was gripping his arms. The taller boy narrowed his eyes at him in questioning, as though he didn’t know how to answer him.

“Faggot?” Brandon echoed. They were in a hallway all by themselves, school has been out for awhile now and Eddie was late to his last mathletes club meeting because of Brandon. He tended to stop Eddie a lot after school, though, and push him hard against the wall for no reason. He was a dedicated bully who was pretty good at making Eddie feel small and insignificant. Everyone else saw Brandon Miller as a good kid. He dated the school’s most popular girls and was on many different sports teams. He was a suck up to teachers to receive better grades which Eddie truly despised. 

He could see right through Brandon’s shell. He knew he wasn’t school-smart, but he was smart enough to know that bullying Eddie wasn’t right. The only thing Eddie didn’t know was  _ why _ he was doing it.

The grip on Eddie’s arms loosened a little and the smaller boy looked up to see a far less aggressive expression than before. His hands began to shake as he tried to get a grip on himself. He was conflicted.

“It’s because you are one. You’re a fag.” Eddie flinched at the harsh tone in his voice, “you’re a fucking  _ fag _ , and you know it.” Brandon wasn’t looking at him anymore. He scowled, trying to regain composure but he looked like he was about to cry.

Suddenly Eddie was harshly shoved backwards even further into the lockers, nearly making an indent. He watched, eyes growing with fear, as Brandon leaned in closer. Suddenly  _ too close  _ and Eddie couldn’t make a single sound. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe. He could feel warm breath fan out across his skin and Eddie had no idea what to do or how to feel. All of this happened so fast, the only thing he could do was squeeze his eyes shut tight and wait for-

All at once, the pressure of the taller boy was off him. Eddie slowly opened his eyes to catch a glimpse of Brandon’s retreating figure sprinting down the hallway and out the front doors, leaving Eddie at a complete loss of what happened. He remained frozen for awhile, thoughts swarming his head as he clutched his textbooks tight to his chest and tried to even his breathing.

_ What the fuck was that about? _

The moment haunted him and kept him thinking about the look in Brandon’s eyes as he said that word to him.  _ Fag.  _ How he spit it out like it tasted bad.  _ Fag.  _ How he said the word with pure disgust in his voice.  _ Fag. _

Eddie tuned his mother out for most of the long drive to Maine with his Walkman, trying to ignore the pain in his chest as one thought kept turning over in his mind;  _ Why is being a ‘fag’ such a bad thing to be? _

 

**June 15, 1990**

 

It has been exactly one week since Eddie and his Mom moved to Derry, the small town in Maine where his mother grew up in. Eddie immediately decided it was just a boring, stupid town by the looks of it. Nothing like Queens, with interesting people everywhere. Derry had only one elementary school, one junior high, and one high school that looked old and crumbly and overall shitty. The town was so incredibly small to Eddie. It was like one of those towns you might drive through on a road trip without really noticing it. There was only one good restaurant to choose from, so Eddie figured they would stock up on groceries from out of town to make their own meals.

It didn’t take long for Eddie and his Mom to settle in. Tonight, they sat at the dinner table eating leftover lasagna and quietly talking about things that didn’t matter. The light in their new house was dim so it made everything feel kind of dark and lonely. The only sounds were chirping crickets and the hum of the fan turned on full blast as they sat there, silverware clinking.

“Oh, Eddie-bear, I almost forgot to tell you something.” Sonia broke the silence and smiled when Eddie looked up from his untouched lasagna. “I signed you up for a summer camp that starts next week.”

Eddie’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. 

“ _ What? _ ” 

“You’ll be staying there for eight weeks, it’s this nice place just outside of Derry.” Sonia ignored her son’s reaction. “I know it’s a long time to be away, but I think it might be good for you.”

“Good for me?” Eddie couldn’t believe his ears. “You hardly let me leave the house, and now you want me to go to summer camp for  _ eight weeks _ ?”

“Edward Kaspbrak, lower your voice.” Sonia spoke harshly, “you know I don’t like you using a tone with me.”

Eddie thought this must’ve been a dream. His mom would rarely let him out of his house, his friends back in New York knew that. He wasn’t allowed to go to the sleepovers or birthday parties he was invited to because his mom was worried about him getting sick from one of the other kids there. Now she was letting him go away for eight whole weeks at a _summer camp_? The longest he’s been away from his mother was a weekend at his friend’s house, and even that took days of begging before she finally let him go.

“Why?” Eddie wondered aloud, “why all of a sudden are you okay with me leaving the house? What happened?”

“Nothing happened, Edward.” She said as if this was completely normal, “I just decided it was time for you to meet some new friends around here.” Eddie could immediately tell that wasn’t the truth, but he wasn’t about to say anything. This was his first chance at what it would be like without his mother constantly looming over his shoulder. It didn’t matter why Sonia wanted him gone for the whole summer. 

He wasn’t going to screw up his first chance of freedom.

 

**June 23, 1990**

 

On the morning Eddie left, he had to haul a nearly twenty pound duffel bag downstairs at exactly seven-fifteen a.m. The duffel bag consisted mainly of shit his Mom insisted he brought that he wouldn’t need at camp. As soon as he got downstairs, he rushed to the dining table and ate his breakfast at lightning speed.

“Slow down, Eddie, you’re going to choke on your food!”

“Sorry, Ma.”

As soon as the boy was finished, he wobbled as fast as he could to the front door with his duffel bag slung over his shoulder.

“Come on, we gotta go!”

“We don’t have to be at the bus stop until eight, calm down.”

“I want to make sure I get there on time, though. What if we miss the bus?” Eddie rushed out the front door and into a downpour of Derry rain.

It was about a twenty minute drive until they arrived at the bus stop, where a bright yellow school bus was parked in a small parking lot with only a few other cars there. Eddie’s heartbeat quickened as he realized that in mere minutes he was going to have  _ eight whole weeks  _ away from his mother. He was anxious and shaky and a little bit nauseous, but most of all he was excited.

“Oh, Eddie-bear, I’m going to miss you so much!” Sonia cried, wrapping tight arms around Eddie as they got out of the car. She kissed his cheeks repeatedly.

“M-Mom, stop it. People are looking.” Eddie blushed.

Mrs. Kaspbrak pulled away a little, looking down at him with regret written all over her face. “Promise you’ll be safe, Eddie, remember everything I told you about.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know! We already went over everything. I know what pills to take for whatever reasons and how to use my first aid kit and I’ll always have my aspirator on me. I’ve got this, don’t worry.” Eddie smiled confidently. He knew that was what his mom needed to hear.

After Eddie said goodbye for the six hundredth time, he walked over to the bus and checked in with a lady wearing a bright orange t-shirt that read “CAMP WHITE ROCK” in big white letters across the front.

“Hey there! What’s your name?” The lady had an over-enthusiastic voice.

“Eddie Kaspbrak.” Eddie smiled nervously as she found and crossed his name off her clipboard.

“Go ahead and get on the bus, Matt will take your bag.”

A guy wearing the same shirt as the lady took Eddie’s large duffel bag and stuffed it in a compartment under the bus with other kids’ luggage.

Eddie made his way onto the bus cautiously and sat down in an empty seat near the back. Everyone was talking loudly in excited voices, most of them looked like they were already friends. Eddie glanced at his watch and saw it was exactly eight a.m. which meant the bus driver would be taking off in a few minutes. He pulled his Nintendo out to pass the time and kept his head down.

Exactly fifteen minutes passed when a loud noise caused Eddie to look up and see a group of three boys hop on the crowded bus, looking around for a place to sit. Eddie found himself noticing how attractive these boys were, with defined cheekbones and features that most kids at this age didn’t have. Eddie quickly lowered his head as to not draw much attention to him. He wanted to make friends at camp, sure, but for some reason he felt like he might pass out if one of these boys decided to talk to him. 

But of course, Eddie was not in luck when one of these boys approached him and stared down at him. Eddie looked up from his game and was met with warm chocolate eyes.

“Hey, all of the other seats are taken. Mind if I sit here?”

The boy was tall.  _ Really  _ tall. With messy black curls and dopey coke bottle glasses. He was wearing a blindingly bright Hawaiian shirt with colorful band aids all over his pale skin and all kinds of different bracelets around his wrists. He was something Sonya would call a  _ disaster,  _ but Eddie couldn’t even place him in a category because he was so distracted by how  _ beautiful _ he was.

“Uh, sure.” Eddie quickly turned back to his Nintendo in hopes to avoid conversation with him, but he soon realized that was impossible.

The boy plopped himself into the seat with a large smile. “You’ve got a Game Boy? That’s cool, I have one too but I left it at home.”

Eddie didn’t look up from his game. “Yeah, I got it for Christmas last year.”

“Can I watch you play?” The shaggy-haired boy asked, already moving closer and leaning over his shoulder.

“Yeah” Eddie’s breath hitches when he feels the boy’s arm brush against his. He wasn’t used to being this close to another person besides his mother.

“The name’s Richie Tozier, by the way.” The boy, Richie, turned to look at him. His face was close. “What’s your’s?”

“Eddie. Eddie Kaspbrak.”

Richie’s face broke out into a goofy grin.“Where’re ya from, Eddie Spaghetti? I haven’t seen you around Derry before. Do you live in Portland?”

Eddie just  _ hated  _ nicknames ever since his mom started calling him ‘Eddie-bear’ nicknames are sickly sweet and make Eddie want to hurl. 

“Don’t call me that.” He used a serious tone, “and I’m from New York City. I moved to Derry a few weeks ago with my mom.”

“So you’re a big city boy, huh?” Richie’s grin was wider than before. Eddie was nervous by how easy Richie talked, how everything seemed to roll off his tongue so naturally. “What’s wrong with ‘Eddie Spaghetti?’”

“I don’t like it. It’s stupid.”

“Awww come on, Spaghetti! I think it’s kinda cute! Eddie Spaghetti, Eds Spagheds.” Richie laughed as Eddie shook his head furiously. “Or what about just ‘Eds’? Now that one’s a keeper.”

“No! Definitely not Eds!”

“Come on Eds, it suits you. Short and sweet, just like you.”

“I’m not that short, asshole.” Eddie’s face reddened with embarrassment. “Besides, Eddie is already a nickname for Edward. It would be like I nicknamed you Dick, it’s unnecessary because Richie is already a nickname for Richard.”

“Hmm, well I’m starting to think I like Dick now.” Richie’s smile was mischievous. “What about you, Eds, do you like Dick? You seem like the type of guy who does.”

Richie snickered as the freckled boy’s face turned the deepest shade of crimson. “Fuck off, you trashmouth!”

“Hey, I’m not the only one with the trashmouth here. It’s kinda funny hearing you swear, though, you’re like a baby chipmunk dropping f-bombs.”

Eddie couldn’t believe he was talking to this guy. Everything that came out of his mouth was ridiculous, but for some reason Eddie liked it. The excitement in Richie’s voice as he talked fast.

“Anyways, Eds, what part of New York City are you from?”

Eddie tried to look annoyed but he couldn’t help a small smile. “Queens.”

“Queens? Wow. Why did you move all the way out here? Derry isn’t exactly the best place in the world.”

Eddie scoffed. “I know it isn’t. My Mom grew up here, though, and she wanted to come back to be with our family. She likes small towns.”

The curly-haired boy thought about this for a moment, before going into his bag and pulling out a Sony Walkman. “You like The Cure?”

“I’ve heard of them.” Eddie watched the freckle-faced boy curiously.

“You’ll like this song.” Richie promptly placed his headphones over Eddie’s ears and pressed the play button. Eddie listened in silence as  _ Just Like Heaven   _ began to play. He recognized the song and smiled while Richie leaned in to hear the lyrics.

_Show me how you do it and I'll promise you_ _  
_ _I'll promise that I'll run away with you, I'll run away with you_

That’s when Eddie feels it. It’s a nice, warm, welcoming sensation that spreads throughout his entire body as he watches the boy sitting next to him. The moment froze when Richie gives him a big toothy grin, the sunlight making his skin glow gold and look soft to the touch. Every detail of his happy brown eyes gave Eddie an overwhelming sense of trust and warmth. He couldn’t describe the feeling, and he didn’t know what it meant, but it was good. He felt that this Richie Tozier kid was going to be his friend, and he was more than okay with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was basically an introduction to the story line. It's super fluffy but I can promise you now that this is gonna be one roller coaster of angst and emotions. Feel free to leave comments. -Oli


	2. Summer Camp

 

**_______________**

**R I C H I E**

**June 23, 1990**

 

“Fuck.” Richie cursed when he tripped over the last step on the bus, stumbling slightly.

They just arrived at camp and people were pushing and shoving to get off the stuffy bus they sat on for over an hour.

“Nice going” A high-pitched voice teased from behind him. 

Richie turned around to sling an arm around the short boy he had met on the bus. For some reason, Richie was drawn to this kid more than he was with anyone else. He was a tan-skinned, freckled-faced, brown-eyed boy who looked the size of an elementary schooler. The second Richie looked into the boy’s melting chocolate stare he found his heart racing ten times faster than it had before. It was hard to explain, but he just liked the way his face looked so  _ nice.  _ So naturally soft and adorable and everything cute in the world combined into one person. Richie listened to his favorite mix tape the whole way to camp and in mere minutes they became best friends. Eddie laughed at every single one of Richie’s jokes, too, which was the best feeling. You could tell that every emotion Eddie had was an honest one, too, he didn’t fake anything. That was the easiest part about him.

“Welcome to crappy Camp White Rock, Eddie Spaghetti!” Richie watched the small boy take in his surroundings, his mouth upturned in a  _ true _ wide smile.

White Rock was the same as always, big log lodges surrounded by tall pines in the middle of nowhere. It never took long to drive from town and end up in complete wilderness when it came to Maine. White Rock had the main lodge right when you entered the camp, then the cabins were separated into different sections all around the lake with different trails connecting them.

“Cool.” Eddie shrugged and Richie was about to tell him how absolutely  _ un _ cool this place was when suddenly a strong pair of hands clasped down on his shoulders, making him jump slightly.

“Haha, d-did I scare you, trashmouth?” Richie turned to see Bill grinning back at him with noodle-haired Stan at his side. 

“Hey there, Big Bill, Stan the Man, didja miss me on the bust ride over?”

Stan rolls his eyes.“You know, I can’t say I have. It was actually peaceful for once.”

“Who’s th-this?” Bill references at Eddie, smile warm as icy blue eyes meet brown ones.

“This cute lil thing right here is Eddie Spaghetti!” Richie pulled the shorter boy closer. “He also goes by Eds, which he just  _ loves _ to be called.” 

Eddie stuck his hand out to shake Bill’s. “Just ‘Eddie’ would be preferable, thanks.” 

“I’m Bill, and th-this is Stan.” Bill’s smile widened which caused Eddie’s heart to skip a little. The boy, Bill, was quite handsome in Eddie’s opinion. He had a slight stutter, but other than that the beautiful eyed boy was practically perfect. He kind of reminded Eddie of an attractive superhero from one of his comic books.

“Nice to meet you both” Eddie blushed.

“Alright guys!” Richie began to pull Eddie towards the camp entrance. “Now that we’re done with the formalities, let’s go see who our cabin mates are. Let’s hope I don’t get stuck in the same cabin as that Jimmy kid from last year. That was fucking horrible.”

The four boys all made their way into the crowd of other kids. Their bus must’ve been the last one to arrive, because the counselors were just now making announcements. They soon started calling kids’ names in alphabetical order to place them in teams. Two years ago Richie had been forced on a team of dipshits. There was a specific asshole in that team who Richie has grown to hate over the years.

“Emily Abbott: Team Ravens.” One of the counselors read the first name from their clipboard, pointing to a group of kids across the field where another counselor stood holding up a small sign reading ‘RAVENS’ 

The girl, Emily, emerged from the crowd and quickly walked up to her group, smiling as she joined her friends. That’s how the grouping system worked; if you weren't new to camp, you got to request which team to be put on and your friends will usually be assigned to that team as well. That’s why Richie was worried he wouldn’t end up on the same team as Eddie. He knew he just met the kid, but Richie wanted to get to know him better so badly. Very few people interested Richie Tozier, but Eddie was one of the ones who did, with a hint of fire in his eyes and a teasing smirk that Richie couldn’t get enough of.

Kid after kid was called up and before they knew it, Bill was on Team Wombats with four other boys and three girls, and Eddie’s name was coming up.

“Edward Kaspbrak: Team Wombats.” Eddie looked up at Richie with wide eyes, but Richie grinned in encouragement. This meant that Eddie had a greater chance of being on the same team as him. He watched as Eddie shyly walked over to the Wombats, where Bill gave him a high five and a kind smile.

More names were called, and only one other girl was placed in their group before Richie’s name was called. The girl was gorgeous, with fiery red hair and a devilish grin that Richie had never seen on a girl before. He chuckled when he caught Bill mooning over her.

“Richard Tozier: Team Wombats.” Richie couldn’t contain the grin that took over his face when his team name called. He was going to be on the same team as Eddie! He had a jump in his step when he rejoined with them, standing as close to Eddie as possible. Richie wasn’t surprised when he found out that Stan was on the same team as them too because they always ended up on the same team, but it made him even happier.

“Stanathan!” Richie slings an arm across Stan’s shoulders, bringing him in for a side-hug. “Welcome to the team!”

“Get off me!” Stan pushes him away while trying to hide his smile. 

Once all the names are called, the counselor, who introduced himself as Anthony, leads them all to a large field surrounded by log cabins. Richie remembers the cabins from last year. They’re all pretty basic, with two small rooms and no bathroom. There’s only one communal bathroom in the middle of the circle of cabins, and it had crappy showers with freezing cold water. Luckily it was so hot in the summertime.

“Alright everyone, I’m going to list off your cabin mates and you’ll all have enough time to unpack before we start with our tour of camp.” Anthony says while looking over the list he was given. “Kyle, Kevin, Mike and Stan are in cabin one. Thomas, Bill, Cody, and Ben, you’ll take cabin two. Richie, Eddie, Alex, Simon, cabin five. Beverly, Christine, Samantha, Michelle, cabin seven. That’s all. Go ahead and get your stuff situated in your new cabins and we’ll meet by the bathrooms in fifteen.”

Richie turns to Eddie with excitement in his eyes as. “Hear that, Spaghetti? Looks like you’re gonna be stuck in a cabin with me all summer!”

Stan does not look amused. “That  _ is _ if Eddie can last the whole summer having to listen to your trashmouth.”

“Don’t listen to him, Eds! Stan is only jealous he doesn’t get to share a cabin with me, isn’t that right, Stanathan?”

“In your dreams, moron.”

“No, in  _ your  _ wet ones.”

“B-beep beep, Richie!” Bill laughed while Stan gave Richie a death glare.

Stan was known for his pleasant manners and mature personality, so it always annoyed him when Richie would crack inappropriate jokes all the time. Stan knew that was how most boys his age acted, though. Most boys played messy sports while Stan hated any form of sport besides bird watching, if that even counted. He was often discarded as a boring person because of his serious lack of enthusiasm for anything.

Eddie focused on Bill, a curious smile on his face. “‘Beep beep Richie?’ What does that mean?”

“I-it’s what w-we tell Richie to make him stop talking, or when he crosses the line w-with his dirty jokes.”

“You’d be surprised by how often we have to use that phrase.” Stan grimaces at Richie, who grins back at him. “He has a foul mouth, to say the least.”

“No need to pay attention to these fools,” Richie rolls his eyes. “They don’t know what they’re talking about. I speak quite properly, don’t you agree, Edward?” Richie spoke the last bit in a posh British accent that made Eddie giggle. Richie liked it when Eddie giggled. His cute button nose would scrunch up as he laughed, the spattering of freckles crinkling with it. 

“L-let’s get to our cabins, losers.” Bill says and they all disperse, heading in the direction of their individual cabins.

The cabins were kind of cool on the inside. Richie liked the bend of the old red cedar wood as it extended towards the ceiling. The rooms were separated by one wall and a small entryway with two beds in each room and large windows on the back walls that let in sunlight. There were also two wooden dressers in each room to load their stuff into, and clean folded bedding resting on top of each bed. The new wood flooring was waxed and shiny, a nice addition that they didn’t have last year.

The other kids in their cabin, Alex and Simon, entered the cabin and watched the other two boys with curious expressions. One of them had caramel tanned skin and dark hair while the other had porcelain skin with bright red hair.

“Hi, I’m Alex.” The tan one smiled, holding his hand out for both of them to shake, which they did.

“I’m Simon.” The other boy was more shy and soft spoken. Richie and Eddie introduced themselves as well before they fell to an awkward silence.

“So I guess you guys are sharing this room and we’ll take the other one?” Alex asked, referencing to the room towards the right side of the cabin.

“Yeah, thanks.” Richie smiled slightly at the two boys as they went the other room. “That was kinda awkward, huh?”

Once everyone was finished unpacking, they met in the middle of the circle of cabins like their counselor had asked. Everyone in their group was basically the same age, that’s how different teams were organized. The Ravens, Wombats, Sea Otters, Grizzlies, Capybaras, and Eagles were all in the same age group of thirteen to fifteen year olds.

“Alright so those who have been to camp before know that we go around in a circle and introduce ourselves before saying anything about ourselves. Stanley, do you want to go first?” Stan nodded his head before speaking up.

“Hi. I’m Stan. I like to go bird watching.” Stan always said bird watching every single summer. He was great at keeping things simple and boring. Bill was next, and he looked a little nervous.

“M-my name’s B-Bill, a-and I have a little b-brother named Georgie. He j-just turned eight a couple mm-months ago.” Bill’s stutter was always worse in a crowd. But that’s always what Bill defined himself as; Georgie’s older brother. It kind of made Richie sad because he knew Bill had a lot of other things to say about himself, like how he’s a really good writer, or how he draws really well, or how he has an awesome bike called Silver. Richie didn’t know why Bill never talked about those things but he wished he did.

A few other people went and Richie quickly lost his attention span before it was his turn.

“My name’s Richie. I like doing stand-up comedy, I’m also on my school’s basketball team. I play the trumpet but I’m not very good at it, I’m half French, I was president of my school’s Drama Club, I also was president of the Marine Biology Club, Mathematics Club, Yearbook-”

“Okay Richie, we get it, you like a lot of stuff.” Stan rolled his eyes, causing everyone to giggle.

“Fine, Eds, it’s your turn.” 

Eddie looked a little nervous, but attempted to calm himself down by taking a deep breath. “My name is Eddie.  _ Not  _ Eds.” He glared at the taller boy, “I just moved here from Queens and I was on my private school’s soccer team. I can’t do soccer anymore, though, because I have asthma.” Everyone looked at the boy curiously, causing him to blush.

The only other people Richie payed attention were the kids named Bev, Ben, and Mike. The pretty redhead Richie has noticed before was into good music apparently, and Ben liked reading while Mike was into photography. Richie had an automatic trust for these kids, he didn’t know why but there was something about them that was so strikingly honest.

After everyone introduced themselves, Anthony took them on a tour of the lake and the dining hall and the lounge/ game rooms and the club rooms in the main lodge. There are a lot of different clubs, like basketball, wildlife studies, tennis, soccer, field hockey, archery, nature exploring/ hiking, crafts, music, and performing arts. It was one of Maine’s best summer camps, which says a lot since it is located in the wilderness of a shitty town called Derry. By the time they had toured around all of camp, it was time for dinner. Anthony led them back to the dining hall where a loud raucous of chatter emitted. Kids were packed into cafeteria-style tables with hot dogs on their plates and wild smiles on their faces. Eddie had never been to a place like this before, he grew up going to a private school for all of his life where things were much orderly.

“Wombats share a table with the Sea Otters.” Anthony said, pointing to a table pushed next to a large group of kids that made Richie immediately recognize one of the kid’s faces.

Julian Roskam. The one kid he hated more than anyone. Of course he had to be here. The boy immediately recognized Richie as well and gave him a taunting smirk. Richie shivered under his gaze. Eddie gave Richie a curious look when he realized the serious tension between them.

“Who’s that?”

“An asshole.” Richie didn’t lose eye contact with the boy as he said it, but the other boy turned away as soon as he saw Eddie standing next to him. Richie couldn’t stop staring at the other boy, though. He noticed that Julian had grown a lot taller, his caramel colored hair grew a little longer, but those emerald eyes were forever the same. Harsh and taunting, always trying to get a rise out of Richie.

His attention was quickly snapped away from the other boy when Eddie nudged him a little, raising an eyebrow at him. The curly-haired boy felt his heart melt under his gaze as he took a seat next to Stan and Bill, momentarily forgetting about Julian.

“Okay, so your top three is Elton, The Smiths, and Fleetwood Mac?” Richie was deep in a conversation with Eddie about their favorite music. “What about The Who? The Cure? The Beatles? New Order? You’re missing so much here, Eds!”

“He’s right,” a feminine voice came from across the table, “The Who is too good to forget about.”

The four boys all turned to see the redhead, Bev, smiling confidently back at them. “And what about The Velvet Underground?”

“Velvet Underground is the best!” Richie said ecstatically, diving head-first into an excited conversation about their favorite bands and musicians, which quickly led to different topics, like what school Bev went to and if this was her first year at camp.

“I moved here with my aunt from Portland. I’m going to Derry High this year, what about you guys?”

“W-we’re all going to Derry High this year, t-too.” Bill watched her with heart eyes evident.

“Little Eds just moved here, too,” Richie ruffled the smaller boy’s hair affectionately while Eddie slapped his hands away and gave Richie a glare.

“That’s not my name, fuckface.”

Once dinner came to an end, everyone went back to their cabins, Bev laughing along with them until they went their separate ways. Richie gave Bill and Stan a fist bump goodnight before he went to his own room with Eddie.

“Goodnight, Eddie Spaghetti!” He whispered loudly into the darkness, a permanent smile resting on his face at the thought of sharing a room with Eds all summer.

“Goodnight, idiot.” Eddie sighed in return before rolling over and almost immediately falling asleep.

Richie did the same, planning on falling asleep as well to the sound of Eddie’s comforting breaths. But he couldn’t. The thought of Julian lingered in the back of his mind and he couldn’t help but think of the boy who irritated him to no end. The green-eyed boy who told him something two summers ago that Richie could never forget, no matter how hard he tried. 

It would always be in the back of his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's the second chapter. Once again, lmk what you think! -Oli


	3. Mike and Ben

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to upload this earlier, sorry! Probably won't be able to update this story on weekdays, but I will update next weekend! January is a super busy month for me right now but I will try to upload a chapter or two every weekend.

**________________**

**E D D I E**

 

**June 24, 1990**

 

Eddie woke up the next morning to the sound of loud snoring. He ran delicate hands over his tired face before spotting the sleeping boy in a bed across the room. 

Richie looked like a mess even when he was asleep, with curly strands of black hair all over the place and gangly limbs tangled in bed sheets. His mouth was open and his expression was surprisingly peaceful, a completely calm state of mind. It made Eddie’s freckled cheeks heat up just watching the boy, though he didn’t understand why. The boy’s features that made him stand out from anyone else, his face would be easy to pick out in a room full of people.

The petite boy slowly got up from bed, stretching his limbs before changing into a pair of baby blue shorts and a yellow polo shirt that had two red stripes down the sleeves. As Eddie was slipping on a pair of tube socks he looked up to realize Richie was watching him. He looked down quickly before grabbing his shoes.

“Good morning, Trashmouth.” 

“Morning, Eds” Richie sleepily sat up in bed. “What time is it?”

“Eight fifteen.” Eddie said as he tied his shoes.

“Why the hell are you up so early?” He buried his head back into the comfort of his pillow.

“Breakfast is at nine.” Eddie simply stated before grabbing his bag of toiletries.

“Exactly, we have nearly an hour to get ready.”

“That gives me enough time to take a shower, brush my teeth, moisturize my face, comb my hair-”

Richie sat up abruptly in bed, “you do all those things on the first day of camp?”

The doe-eyed boy rolled his eyes before squirting a large dollop of hand sanitizer onto his hands. “Well obviously. This place is full of germs.”

Richie tilted his head to the side a little in confusion. He looked at Eddie like he was crazy person. Was daily showers such an abstract thought?

“Are you a germaphobe or something?”

Eddie clenched his teeth nervously. He couldn’t bring up his fear this early into the friendship with Richie. He remembered how people treated him at his old school when he used antibacterial wipes to wipe down his desk before using it every day. They thought he was a freak.

“If taking showers and brushing teeth is your idea of a germaphobe, then I don’t even want to  _ know  _ what your idea of a cleaning routine is.”

 

**________________**

Once Eddie was done with a hot shower he came back to the cabin to find Richie getting dressed. He was walking around the cabin, shirtless, before he saw Eddie and smiled.

“I’m trying to find my green shirt, you know the Hawaiian one?”

“The one you wore yesterday?” Eddie winced and pointed to it underneath Richie’s bed. “You shouldn’t just throw your clothes on the floor, they’ll collect dust. And do you know how disgusting it is to wear the same clothes two days in a row without washing them? How could you just-”

Eddie was cut off as soon as Richie placed a firm hand over his mouth. He would have been grossed out by the fact his hand was touching his mouth but he was distracted by the pale skin exposed from Richie’s unbuttoned shirt he had thrown on. He was so close and Eddie couldn’t resist a peek at his perfectly smooth chest and stomach without a trace of a hair or blemish. Eddie wondered if that was what his skin looked like all over. The thought made him blush.

“Eds, please save the talking for when I’m fully awake, alright?” Richie’s voice was soft like the rest of him, it caused the tiny boy’s heart to flutter wildly.

Breakfast passed quickly before their camp counselor announced their activities for the day. Today was Club Day, apparently, which meant that kids could sign up for all the different clubs at White Rock. The event was held in the main lodge, where the oldest campers at Camp White Rock had to set up stands for their clubs and kids could talk to the club leaders and decide which club to join. It was almost overwhelming to Eddie, all the different options and excited faces in a large crowd of faces.

“I remember joining the basketball club when I was a kid.” Richie was reminiscing, a happy smile plastered on his face. “Those were the good old days”

“You still are a kid.” Eddie scoffed. His eyes were attracted to a vibrant, fully decorated stand for the craft’s club. “Jesus, they really take these club things seriously around here.”

“It’s kind of a tradition,” Stan shrugged beside him, “White Rock has a lot of other activities to do here, but camp here isn’t as fun unless you join at least one or two clubs. Plus, the age group is limited with the clubs. When you’re in the younger age group, you go to junior clubs. In the older age group, you have a chance to try out for a varsity club, or you go to JV for the older group.”

“Y-yeah, and they take things pretty s-s-seriously.” Bill said, pushing back his auburn bangs, “and if the club is a team sport, they get  _ really  _ competitive at the end of summer competition against Springfield’s club teams.”

“Other summer camps compete in this?”

“Y-yes, it’s kind of a b-big deal around here.” The pretty-faced boy laughed. Eddie liked the way Bill’s face looked when he did that, his Prussian blue eyes would fill with joy. “The main sp-sports people compete in are soccer, b-baseball, field hockey, a-and tennis.”

“Don’t forget basketball!” Richie piped up, “they’re way too underappreciated for their hard work!”

“P-people don’t take basketball as seriously. P-probably b-b-because the basketball players aren’t very serious.”

“Probably because their captain is a stoner who’s almost as old as the counselors here.” Stan rolled his eyes when Richie looked at him with disbelief.

“Hey! Andy is ten times cooler than  _ any  _ of these lame-ass counselors will ever be!”

“No way, dipshit, Tucker is by far the best team captain.”

Richie and Stan’s banter led to an argument of which sports team captain was the best, so Eddie tuned out for most of it and noticed the male’s soccer team stand where boys talked enthusiastically and hunched over sign-up sheets. If what Stan said about the varsity team taking things seriously, then most of them weren’t going to qualify for it. It made Eddie’s heart hurt a little just thinking about soccer. He used to love the sport so much just a year ago, but ever since he caught the whooping cough last winter his mom insisted that he brought an inhaler everywhere he goes and that he had to quit soccer.

Eddie still isn’t sure whether he truly has asthma or not, though, because ever since the incident he began having serious problems with not being able to catch his breath, but he couldn’t help the feeling of being left out. Soccer was the one thing that connected Eddie to his friends before, and it was the one thing that let him release his pent-up energy and anger he built up throughout the day. He missed being out on the field with the sunshine on his back and the ability to participate in something that involved a whole team who always supported each other. They would praise Eddie whenever he scored a goal, which was quite often. Eddie was probably the best kid on that team and he wasn’t even trying to brag. They won most games because of his natural competitive need to succeed.

“Hey! Are you guys joining any clubs?” The group of boys turned around to see Bev standing with flyers gathered up in her arms, a genuine smile on her face.

Stan smiled back. “Bill and I were going to join baseball team. We did it last year but we were placed on JV.”

“St-Stan might join the c-culinary arts club, too” Bill said next to him. “He’s really good at cooking.”

“Really? I was thinking of joining that one too.” Bev shifted from where she was standing, trying to get out of the crowd of kids, “you get to take whatever you make back to your cabin every day.”

“I think I want to join that club too,” the shortest boy piped up, “I love to bake things, and I make dinner for my mom and I all the time. It sounds fun.”

“What about the art club, Eds? You gotta do that one with me.” Richie whined, “and the soccer team! You should join the soccer team!”

“I’ll join the art club but you already know I can’t do soccer anymore. My asthma-”

“Fuck your asthma, that’s what you’ve got an inhaler for.”

“But Richie I can’t-”

“Eds, your breathing was obviously perfectly fine when you were on the soccer team before. Your ability to breathe doesn’t just suddenly stop.”

Eddie huffed out a frustrated breath. “What are you trying to say, Richie?”

The taller boy looked around his circle of friends, eyes asking for help but giving up when no one said anything. “I’m trying to say that you should at least try out for the soccer team. I think you’re capable of a lot more than you think.”

Eddie couldn’t help the small blush that painted his cheeks. No one’s ever told him that before. It’s funny that he just met Richie yesterday, it’s like he knew everything about Eddie now. Like they’ve been friends for a lifetime and he could trust Richie with his entire heart and soul. It was some powerful shit.

Eddie, for some stupid reason, complied to Richie’s whining. He had no idea why, but the look in the shaggy-haired boy’s bright eyes made him feel a lot more confident. Every time Eddie looked into his eyes it made him feel like this. Like he could do anything he wanted to. It felt like parts of Eddie’s tough shell was breaking off the longer he hung out with Richie. It was like he was coming down a high peak on a mountain, oxygen slowly flowing back through his lungs.

“Fine.” Eddie crossed his arms in defeat, “but if I end up having an asthma attack because of you, you owe me two free ice cream cones anytime I want.”

Richie smiled widely, and it made the irritated boy’s stomach flutter slightly.

After the group of boys (plus one girl with rather short hair) went around signing up for clubs, Eddie ended up convincing Richie to join the basketball team again and agreed to sign up for art club with him. Stan, Bev, and Eddie all signed up for culinary arts and Stan and Bill signed up for the baseball team. Bev ended up signing up for the girl’s tennis team and crafts club after being convinced by the group. In the very last minutes of Club Day, Richie pulled Eddie aside and they walked straight up to the soccer team stand.

The second Eddie signed his name down on the sheet filled with other boy’s names he had a feeling that this moment was only the beginning of a summertime full of rushes, all because of the beautiful boy he met on the bus.

When the two met up with Stan and Bill again, they were talking with Beverly outside the lodge in whispered voices.

“What’s up, Billiam?”

“B-Bev says there’s gonna be a secret little p-party tonight out on Dot Island.”

Richie quirked an eyebrow. “Oh really?”

“What’s Dot Island?” The shy boy asked beside him.

“I-it’s a small island out in the m-middle of the lake, w-we always heard about a bunch of weird s-stuff going on there when we were younger.” Bill looks anxiously over at the raven-haired boy.

“Eh, only a few counselor hook ups and kids sneaking off to smoke pot or get shit-faced.” He shrugged. Eddie couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Where do kids even get that stuff?”

“Honestly, mainly from counselors. The rich kids know the ones who’ll accept big cash.”

“Do they really waste a ton of money on that kind of shit? Just to get high off some bad weed?”

Richie snorted at the hypochondriac who had an expression of disbelief. “Well, Eds, you’ll soon come to find out how painstakingly boring this shit hole really is. Kids in Derry are willing to do a lot for a cheap thrill.”

_ No kidding,  _ Eddie looked at Richie wearily.

“...So are you losers coming or what?” Beverly has a mischievous smile, her pretty dimples indenting freckled cheeks. “Because if you’re not coming you can’t tell anyone about the party, my friend could get into some serious trouble.”

Richie looked around the circle of boys, eyebrows raised in question to anyone that wanted to back down. No one opposed, so Richie nodded at the girl. “We’re in.”

 

**________________**

That night, the counselors dragged everyone out into the fields for a game of flashlight tag. It was their last activity of the day before they went back to their cabins before sneaking out. The sun had set an hour ago, the stars splattered across the sky now like spilt milk on a black canvas. It was warm enough to wear shorts still but the night breeze felt nice on Eddie’s sun kissed skin. He could close his eyes for a few seconds just to feel the wind whip through his short locks of hair.

“Eds” he heard a faint whisper from beside him before a hand brushed into his, “we gotta hide.”

Eddie tried to ignore the way his cheeks lit with color the second the taller boy’s hand was in his. They were running, separated from Stan and Bill who went off somewhere into the darkness. Stan said he didn’t want to hide with Richie because he was always too loud and gave them away.

“In here.” Richie ducked behind a bush on the edge of the fields, bringing the hypochondriac with him.

Eddie’s heart beat loudly in his chest from running, but he tried to quiet his gasping breaths as to not give them away. They were completely silent as Richie watched through the branches, a few flashlights lighting up his pearly-skinned face for a millisecond before the colors were gone. They sat for awhile, listening for voices of others or any noise at all. Eddie could only hear faint sounds in the distance, and the loud hum of crickets in the grass around them. It was almost peaceful, like he could fall asleep right there, staring at the boy across from him where moonlight caused his pale skin to glow blue.

Richie turned his attention to the smaller boy, noticing he was looking at him. A smirk rose to his features and he drew closer to the short boy. Eddie gasped a little when he set his hands on both of the boy’s knees. “Are you cold?”

“A little.”

Richie promptly lifted the sweatshirt he was wearing and threw it over Eddie’s bare legs. “There, that should keep you-”

Suddenly there was a break in the thicket of branches, and within a second two boys emerged from the bushes with breaths shallow from exhaustion. One of them was much shorter than the other, with a soft expression and chubby cheeks. The other one had a kind smile and cordovan skin. 

“Hey, mind if we hide here?” The taller boy asked, kind smile unfading.

“Yeah, sure!” Richie whispered back enthusiastically.

The boys sat down beside them, before the shorter boy whispered, “I’m Ben by the way, and that’s Mike.”

Eddie smiled back at them, “I’m Eddie, and that’s-”

“Richie” The bespectacled boy said beside him, “you’re on our team right?”

“Yeah, the Wombats.” Mike said, “I’m also pretty sure you were in my algebra class with Mr. Phillips?”

“Oh right! You’re the kid who always sits in the very front. Y’see, I always sit in the back so don’t really know anyone from the front of the room.”

“I think I’ve seen you in the hallways before,” Ben commented, “you’re always hanging around Bill Denbrough, right?”

“Yep! Billy’s my best friend. So is Stanathan.”

“Stanathan? As in, Stanley Uris? The kid who gives everyone the scariest death glare in existence if you so much as whisper during class?”

“Yep! That’s my Stanny!”

“Interesting.” Mike seemed a little lost in thought, then he shrugged. “Well it was nice to formally meet you guys, hopefully we’ll-”

Suddenly Mike was interrupted by a loud break through the trees, flashlights blinding them all from the bright light. Eddie scrambled back in fear but it was too late. They were caught.

“Hey! We got you guys!” Excited voices called. Richie quickly stood up, offering a hand to Eddie which he took gratefully.

Richie pulled Eddie up but didn’t let go of his hand when they began walking to the center of the field where all the other kids who were caught stood. He brought his mouth down to the shell of Eddie’s ear, causing him to shiver.

“You ready for Dot Island?” He whispered, before pulling back with a sly grin on his face. Eddie didn’t know why, but the way Richie said it caused goosebumps to sprout across his skin. Like it was a special secret meant for only Eddie to hear.

_ No,  _ Eddie thought,  _ I’m not ready for Dot Island. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all very much for the comments on the previous chapters! I love getting them, they're great motivation. -Oli :)


	4. Doesn't Mean Anything

**________________**

**R I C H I E**

 

**June 24, 1990**

 

Richie looked down at his digital watch reading 11:00. He glanced up at a nervous-faced Eddie who sat on the edge of his own bed.

“Time to go.” The boy stood up before opening the bedroom door to sneak out of the room. Eddie followed behind him, slipping into the darkness of the short hallway while Richie slowly turned the knob to the front door as to not wake their other cabinmates.

“Hey,” a rough voice suddenly emerged from the shadows, causing both boys to jump. “You guys going to that party?”

Richie squinted into the darkness to find a russet-skinned figure with a black hoodie pulled over him, blending into the night. It was Alex.

“Yeah” Eddie whispered, “are you?”

“No. If you see a girl named Sam, tell her hi from me, though.” Alex promptly turned right back around and shut his bedroom door behind him without another word. Eddie looked up at Richie, a mix of surprise and confusion written all over his face. Richie’s face only mirrored his.  _ Weird. _

Once the two boys made their way down to the boat shed to meet the other three, they found Bev with a key to the boat shed and watched as she quickly unlocked it, swinging open the door and stepping inside. The other boys followed her in and Richie was soon overwhelmed by the musty scent of damp air that had been locked in the cobweb infested shed for a long time.

“Help me with this.” The short-haired girl said, hoisting up one end of a rather large canoe. Everyone else soon rushed over to help her carry it out of the shed. They set it down on the shoreline and hopped in, letting Bev push off from the shore before hopping in. Her feet got soaking wet.

“A-are your feet c-cold? Do you want t-to dry them off w-with my jacket?” Richie heard Bill ask in concern, to which Bev only smiled sweetly and tucked a strand of copper hair behind her ear.

“Nope, I’m A-okay, but thanks Bill.”

As they set out on the lake, Richie couldn’t help but admire how pretty Bev looked in the moonlight paddling. Her straight hair reached just beneath her chin, curling at the ends and accentuating her sharp features. Bev’s the kind of girl who has simply natural beauty; it’s written in the curve of her lips and the blue starlight of her unwavering eyes. She wore two rhinestone studs in either ear and her small frame was what boys were into at his age. 

Beverly Marsh, to put it plain and simple, is the kind of girl who’s easy to fall in love with. He’s seen the way everyone looks at her. Even Bill wanted Beverly Marsh, so it confused Richie to no end that for some reason he couldn’t bring himself to feel a hint of attraction towards the gorgeous girl. He could admire her all he wanted but his stomach would never feel those nervous butterflies or sweaty palms. 

“We’re here!” Bev’s enthusiastic voice broke the daydreaming boy’s train of thought. He noticed the small shoreline had two other canoes tied down on the beach. He turned his attention to Eddie, who sat behind him in the boat. When they reached the shore of the little island out in the middle of the lake, the taller boy grabbed Eddie’s hand to help him out, a spark of electricity passing through him as their skin touched. Richie wondered if he could feel it too.

When they came across a cluster of trees in the middle of the tiny island, Richie could hear loud music and laughter emitting from within. They didn’t have to walk far at all before they made it to a clearing in the trees where kids were gathered around a campfire, some had joints between fingers, others had beer bottles and flushed faces. It was all exactly how Richie expected.

“Sam!” Beverly shouted to a girl who was sitting in the circle. The girl immediately stood up and wrapped Bev in a short but excited hug. 

Bev pulled away smiling. “You know Bill, Stan, Richie, and Eddie from our team, right?”

Richie remembered the girl. Sam. He liked her hair; always messy, blonde, curly and a little too shaggy to be called a pixie cut. She had a red ball cap on and baggy blue jeans. He remembered when she first introduced herself at their first year of camp as Samantha Wilkinson, an obsessed baseball player who is never seen without a hat.

“Of course I remember you guys! How could I forget dear Richard Tozier, we’ve been going to camp together since we were nine.” Sam’s smirk was teasing but kind when she looked him in the eyes. Her smug confidence radiated off of her.

“Pleasure to see you again, Samantha,” Richie teased her back and gave her a wink. “So where can I get that shit around here?” He pointed to a beer bottle held loosely in the girl’s hand.

Sam turned around and opened a cooler full of bottles. She handed one to each of them, Eddie taking his with an uneasy expression. “We’re all playing truth or dare, do you guys wanna join?”

“Sure!” Bev says, walking over to the campfire. The other four boys follow behind and sit around the campfire on the mossy logs. There were eight other people all with cheery cheeks flushed from the heat. Sam introduced them to each other, most of them Richie had met before at camp. 

They all began to play an interesting game of truth or dare where Eddie always looked anxious whenever it was his turn. Sometimes Richie would lean down and tell him a good dare whenever he was struggling. Games and jokes were practically his profession so weird scenarios constantly filled his head.

“Bill, I dare you to…” Richie’s lips were immediately pressed against Eddie’s ear, “...jump in the lake butt-naked?”

“W-what? No way! It’s f-freezing!”

“A dare is a dare, Billiam!”

Bill ended up shivering by the campfire later with a miserable expression and a bright red nose. Bev gave him her coat while Richie kept laughing hysterically. Eventually, though, the game began to wind down and everyone was ready for something else. Bev placed her empty beer bottle next to the campfire.

“Let’s play spin the bottle! Except camping edition and seven minutes in heaven are by the beach. Also every time the bottle lands on someone you had before, you and the other person have to down a bottle of beer between the two of you.”

Richie glanced over at Eddie who had a worried expression. Poor kid. “Don’t worry Eds, I’ll drink on your behalf if it comes to that.” He could tell that the sentiment didn’t ease the boy whatsoever, though, he tensed up beside him as Beverly spinned the bottle first. It landed on Jeremy, a kid sitting across from her. Bev pecked him quickly on the lips and pulled back with a blank expression. Jeremy was obviously disappointed that it didn’t last longer.

Bill’s turn was next. He landed on a girl named Amy, who brought him in for a five second kiss that caused a few raised eyebrows. Bill’s face was flushed and confused when he pulled away but wasn’t about to complain. 

Next was Stan, who had a blank expression as he spun the bottle. Richie knew it was just a poker face. When it landed on a blonde-haired boy on the other side of the campfire, Stan turned to Beverly in questioning. “No acceptions, you guys have to kiss.” Everyone giggled loudly when Stan walked over to the other boy, a quick kiss was placed on the boy’s lips and Stan looked unfazed while the other was mortified.

When it was Richie’s turn, he couldn’t help the nerves that flowed through him. What if it landed on a guy like Stan had done? He’s never kissed a dude before and he didn’t really want to know what would happen if he did. Would it be different from kissing a girl? What would happen if he  _ liked  _ it? No no no, he wasn’t  _ gay.  _ Richie knew he liked girls, the thought was ridiculous.

He tried to shake these thoughts from his head as he grabbed the bottle and spun it violently. When it came to a stop, it was halfway between Sam and a guy named Jeff. He couldn’t tell who it was pointed to so he looked up to Beverly for help.

“I don’t know who it’s pointed to.”

“I think it’s halfway between us” Sam said, referencing between Jeff and her.

“Well, Rich, I guess you just get to pick who you want to kiss.” Bev wore a small smirk and Richie couldn’t tell what she was thinking. He glanced back up at the two, palms sweaty as they eyed him uneasily. It was Richie’s decision. He could either kiss Sam and not have to worry about the thought of kissing a guy, or he could kiss Jeff and figure out why he was so scared of kissing a dude. But then if he did kiss Jeff he’d be willingly kissing a guy in front of everyone. People would talk. People would think he was gay when he didn’t even know what he was. 

Quickly, Richie made up his mind and stood up to kiss Sam. It wasn’t a long kiss, and he was left with the taste of chewing tobacco and cherry chapstick. Suddenly he remembered what Alex had said to him earlier about a girl named Sam. He backed up to look her in the eyes. 

“Alex told me to say hi to you, by the way.” Immediately, Sam’s cheeks lit up.

“Okay. Thanks.” She avoided his stare. 

Richie moved back and turned his attention to Eddie. It was his turn. He watched, a tightening knot in his stomach while the tiny boy stood up and spun the bottle. It kept spinning for for a few seconds until it slowly came to a stop, all eyes flashing up to see who it had landed on.

There, the bottle was pointing directly at Richie Tozier. The raven-haired boy immediately tensed up, his heart suddenly beating erratically as butterflies swarmed his stomach. Where was this coming from? 

He couldn’t handle the innocent look Eddie gave him when he looked up from the empty beer bottle, doe eyes wide and lips slightly parted in surprise. He was such a pretty boy, with smooth skin and permanently rose colored cheeks...he didn’t even have to try to look good, he just did. There was instantly an electric charge between them that wasn’t there before, and it confused him. He never felt this nervous in a situation ever before, but mere thought of pressing his lips against Eds’ soft ones set his skin on fire. In one second Richie’s world turned into one of those dramatic slow-motion moments in movies where they’re staring at each other intensely and fireworks are going off behind their eyes and maybe some music is playing in the background...maybe that music was  _ I Want To Know What Love Is  _ by Foreigner, but that was just wishful thinking. 

Finally, someone broke the awkward silence.

“So are you guys gonna kiss or…?”

“Yeah, definitely.” Richie quipped back, a bit breathless as he tried to reel himself back into the real world. This was just a game of spin the bottle, get a grip. 

When he made eye contact with Eddie again, his eyes were wide with anxiety and fear.

“It’s okay Eds, just a quick kiss. No big deal.” Richie’s voice was a whisper as he leaned in, watching the other’s eyes close tight, nose sprinkled with bright freckles and mouth screwed shut. Richie tried to calm his nerves, but he couldn’t stop freaking out inside.

When their lips finally met, goosebumps sprouted along Richie’s arms. His heartbeat was racing as Eddie pushed his soft petal lips against his. He liked the way they fit against his, the feeling was new and so  _ nice _ . He liked how the kiss was not wet but not chapped, a faint brush of something sweet. He liked how the other boy exhaled slightly when their mouths met, causing a chill to rack throughout Richie’s bones. He liked everything about the situation he was in, but it couldn’t last longer than a few seconds. 

Richie separated from the kiss, catching a glint of the boy’s amber eyes that burned against the firelight beside them. Why did this moment feel so personal? Like it was made specifically for them? He had to play this off as not a big deal or else people would get the wrong idea. He had to say something  _ now. _

“That was awkward.” Richie laughed nervously, avoiding eye contact with Eddie. He was too afraid of what his expression might be. His eyes landed on the girl sitting next to Eds and cleared his throat, trying to pretend that lightning bolts weren’t shooting throughout his body a moment ago.

“I think it’s Sierra’s turn now.”

 

**________________**

For the rest of the night, Richie didn’t really pay attention to the game. Everyone called it a night after a few more rounds of beers and kissing people that Richie didn’t really care about. Bill kept looking over at him with concern. He knew that Richie was much,  _ much  _ more talkative than how he was being but the curious boy couldn’t be drawn from his thoughts. He couldn’t figure out why one kiss kept replaying over and over in his mind, why he was so tense at the simple thought of Eddie sitting beside him.

He still couldn’t bring himself to look Eddie in the eyes until after they said goodbye to the drunk faces of the other teens and made their way back to their own cabin around two in the morning. Even then, it was impossibly hard for him to open his mouth and make conversation with the other boy.

“Hey, Eds-”

“Don’t call me that.” Eddie was changing into his pajamas and Richie was lying on his bed across the room, staring up at the ceiling.

“Uh...what did you think of that game- the one we played earlier, ya know?”

Eddie turned to face him with a hint of anxiousness, running delicate hands through his hair. “I don’t know why people like playing it at parties, you can get so many germs from sharing saliva with other people- did you know that human mouths have more bacteria than a toilet seat? Kissing is so gross, it’s all wet and slobbery, some of the girls were really bad at it so I didn’t kiss them for more than like a millisecond-”

“How was our kiss?” Richie interrupted, catching him off guard.

“U-um, well…” He stumbled a little on his words, “it wasn’t bad. It was my first kiss, so…”

“Your first kiss?” Sitting up, Richie watched him with a surprised expression.

“Uh, yeah, I’m kind of terrified of germs so I tend to avoid all that.” Eddie laughed a little nervously and went to sit on his bed. “It’s kinda weird that Beverly made everyone who was landed on kiss the other person. Like, it doesn’t mean anything when it lands on the opposite gender, right?”

Richie guessed he was right. When Stan had to kiss that other guy he wasn’t fazed by the situation at all, so why did Richie have to feel like it was some big deal? It was just a stupid meaningless kiss in a game of spin the bottle.

“Right.” Richie said before laying down in his small bed to shut his eyes. They didn’t speak again until the next morning, but Eddie’s voice stuck with him throughout the night.  _ It doesn’t mean anything.  _

Why did it feel like something then?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've been meaning to post this chapter since last weekend but I didn't really like it so I had to do some revising while studying for finals but here's the fourth chapter finally! This week is finals week so I will probably have a lot of free time over this weekend to update again. Lmk your opinions and thoughts on the story because they are always important! -Oli


	5. Only Living Boy in New York

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is being published later than I said! This is a pretty short chapter, but there's some notes at the end explaining why.

**________________**

**E D D I E**

 

**June 25, 1990**

 

For the first time since Eddie arrived at summer camp, he missed his mother.

He woke up at five in the morning and wasn’t able to go back to sleep. He was only functioning on three hours of sleep as he pulled on a heavy sweatshirt and jeans, grabbing his Walkman on the way out the door.

Eddie decided to settle down at the bottom of a willow tree by the beach. The grass was dewy around the trunk, but he didn’t mind sitting on it. The sun was barely slipping through the large pines across the lake, casting a warm orange glow across the water. He set the pair of headphones on his ears and popped in a tape labelled ‘ _Halcyon of ‘81’_ in black sharpie into the player.

Eddie let his head rest against the bark, closing his eyes as _Sunday Morning_ by The Velvet Underground began to play. He tried to calm his thoughts but couldn’t help it when he started thinking about the curly haired boy that stole his first kiss.

Then he began thinking about what his mother would say, of course. If she found out about this she’d probably have a heart attack and never let Eddie out of the house ever again.

Now he’s regretting becoming friends with Richie in the first place. He likes Richie a lot, even if he didn’t know too much about him, but his mom would think he was a bad influence. And maybe he _was_ a bad influence, with the party and alcohol and kids smoking and things no one should be doing this young? Eddie knew that if you started smoking young then you can become addicted and it’ll lead to all kinds of diseases.

The one thing Eddie didn’t want to be was _diseased._  He hated that word, he hated how it could mean a whole lot of disgusting things all at once. But, most of all, he hated the way his mother said it...

Abruptly, Eddie’s brain supplied awful thoughts about those girls at the party. He thought about what could happen to him if they had diseases, like mouth diseases, and Eddie got it from them and he’d never be able to get rid of it. What if they had herpes? Or HIV, like his mom went on and on about so often? Eddie had only seen people in the news get that, and it was a new thing, but the thought that _he_ of all people could have it is absolutely terrifying.

His throat began to close up from hyperventilation so he reached for his inhaler, pushing it into his mouth before giving it a few pumps. The rush of medicine soon filled his senses as he took deep breaths, feeling himself begin to calm down. Asthma attacks would often happen like this, when Eddie wasn’t even doing anything his lungs would suddenly have the horrible need for air. They usually came when he panicked like this.

Eddie zipped his inhaler back into his fanny pack and sat back to listen to his music again. Simon and Garfunkel was playing now and it made a small smile sprout up on his features. _The Only Living Boy in New York,_ this song always reminded him of his dad; his happy face smiling down at little Eddie as they danced in the living room. His dad always liked songs like this, Neil Diamond and Cat Stevens were his favorites. Eddie loved it when he lifted him onto his shoulders, giggles uncontrollable as his mom scolded her husband, afraid that the toddler would be dropped. He must’ve been at least three years old at the time but the memory has always stayed with him.

 _You are my boy,_ _tú eres mi luz_ _._ His father’s warm voice filled his thoughts often when Eddie was in need of calming down. He would always be remembered in a haze of yellow lights, expression always soft and eyes always full of love for Eddie. His dad was a safe haven where bad thoughts would dissolve into oblivion the second his calming nature came to mind.

Once the sun rose higher into the sky, Eddie stood up and brushed himself off. He knew he was going to be fine. Richie was his friend now, and he was a good friend. It was hard not to grow increasingly fond of the boy with stupid jokes and a welcoming character. Richie Tozier was that one kind of person that only came around every once in a while. He was so _different_ than any of the interesting faces Eddie had met in New York. His palpable confidence pushed Eddie out of his comfort zone, daring him with dark eyes and sly smirks.

Eddie wasn’t exactly expecting a kiss out of it, though. And it was a kiss that literally took his breath away. It took his entire being not to have a full-blown asthma attack right after. It was frustrating that he could be so deeply affected by it when Richie obviously wasn’t, so he tried to hide what he really felt about the kiss when the boy asked him about it later. It was a defense mechanism he had built up over the years after finding out that all he had to do was put a mask on to make his mother happy.

Maybe that sounded bad, but it really wasn’t all that big of a deal to Eddie. Sonia didn’t know what to do when his dad died, she wanted to make sure Eddie grew up feeling happy and safe, so when Sonia began forcing Eddie to stay home with her all the time he didn’t protest. She always meant more than anything else to him...

 

**________________**

Anthony led their team to breakfast in the dining hall and Eddie quickly excused himself to use the restroom. He stopped on his way to see a familiar blonde-haired girl giving him a warm smile and walk up to the short boy. Eddie recognizes her as Sam, the girl from the party who kind of dressed like a boy.

“Hey, you’re Eddie, right? From last night?”

Eddie looks up at her with eyelashes fluttering in confusion. “Uh...yeah.”

Sam’s smile turns a little bit nervous, she scratches the back of her neck. “Um, well, this is weird, but...could you maybe possibly tell Richie that I like him?” Her brown eyes attempt to look anywhere but at Eddie when his mouth opens slightly in surprise. “I know it’s stupid that I’m asking you but it’s kind of nerve racking to tell him myself, you know? So I just wondering if you could... it’s totally okay if you say no!”

Eddie inwardly cringes, fumbling with the strap on his fanny pack. “No, um, I’ll tell him.”

“Oh great!” Sam’s eyes light up. “Thank you, Eddie!”

“Yeah.” He turns right back around and rushes away from the girl. He was always so awkward when it came to talking to girls.

Eddie went back to sit down at the table, realizing that he never went to the bathroom. Richie turned to him and smiled, revealing an orange slice in place of his teeth. He took the peel out, a trail of saliva coming out with it while Eddie tried not to gag. Who in their right mind would be attracted to this freak? He supposed Sam must like his "unique charm."

“Hey Eds, today’s free-day Sunday which means kids get a day off and can do anything they want. Wanna go to the lake with me and Billiam and Stanathan and Bev?”

“Yeah, sounds fun.” Eddie smiled when Richie threw an arm around his shoulders and brought him in for a side hug in excitement. Then he didn’t remove his arm, and Eddie’s cheeks began to flush automatically.

It didn’t ease him at all when small circles from long fingertips began lightly tracing between his shoulder blades. It was just a friendly touch, but it didn’t feel like that at all to the blushing boy. Shivers rolled down his spine when Richie’s hand pulled away to explain something animatedly to Bev. He was fond of these touches Richie gave him, the gentle warmth of fingertips resting on his shoulders with a face full of affection.

After the group finished breakfast and stopped by their cabins, they made their way down to the lake. Eddie was surprised to see here weren’t many other kids on the beach; it was a hot day, not a single cloud in the deep blue sky. They shed their clothing quickly, revealing swimsuits they had put on earlier underneath. While everyone’s attention focused on Bev’s cream-colored bikini, Eddie found his eyes drawn to the blindingly vibrant eighties-style swim trunks Richie was sporting. His frame was gangly, but with a hint of boyish softness to it. It was hard to drag his eyes away.

Eddie removed a polo shirt and looked down at his own skin. It was a nice tan, caramel color in the summer. A golden, happy tone that looked like the sun had given him a warm kisses all over. No matter how much sunscreen Eddie applied he always looked like this in the summertime. An abundance of freckles dotted his nose, cheeks, and body.

“Eds! Come play chicken fight with me!” Richie splashed over in the water, causing Bev to splash back with a laugh. “Bill and Bev against Eddie and I!”

Eddie hoisted himself onto Richie’s shoulders, watching a bright blush make its way onto Bill’s face when he lifted Bev onto his shoulders. The feeling of Richie’s smooth skin brushing against his thighs lit his skin afire, a stark contrast to the cold lake water. He appreciated how clear the lake was, barely any algae and a clean teal color reflected the sky.

Bev gave Eddie with an evil smirk that terrified him as she began tackling the other boy whilst on Bill’s shoulders. He barely lasted more than a few seconds before he was flying backwards with a splash, bringing Richie with him.

“You suck at this. Where’s Stan the man? I want him on my team.”

“Shut up, dipshit.” Eddie stuck his tongue out at Richie, who pinched his cheek in return.

They played chicken fight a few more rounds, ending with Bev always winning against her opponent. When they got back on the beach, Stan was relaxing in the sun with a book. Richie forgot his towel, apparently, so he took Stan’s and dried off quickly before the boy could notice and go off on Richie.

“Eds, wanna come with me back to the main lodge? The concession stand is always open on Sundays, and they have ice cream!”

“Sure” He didn’t know there was a concession stand, but Eddie stood up and followed him along the paved trail to the main lodge. They went along a back trail around the lodge until they came across a built-in stand at the back side of the building. It had one long counter on all sides instead of walls, and a counselor with aviator sunglasses took kids’ orders in exchange for money. There was a long line of kids waiting to get ice cream.

“See that counselor up there?” Richie pointed to the dude in sunglasses, “that’s Mick. Him, Andy, and Surch are like, best friends, and they’re also some of the coolest guys you’ll ever meet.”

Eddie didn’t question this as it was their turn in line to order. Mick immediately recognized Richie and gave him a fist bump before turning around to a guy with clunky glasses operating the soft serve machine behind him.

“Hey! Surch! It’s little Richard from ‘05 back again!”

“Rich! Good to see you again, man!” Surch strides up to where Mick towered over the other two.

“Yeah, are you guys still co-coaching basketball with Andy this year?”

“You bet we are, little man!” Mick brought Richie in for an affectionate noogie, much like the ones Richie gave Eddie so often. “Are you signed up?”

Richie grinned. “Yep, and my friend Eds here is doing soccer with Toby.”

The older boys looked down at Eddie, who was instantly tense from the sudden attention.

“Nice to meet ya, Eds.” Mick chuckled, “what’ll you guys have today?”

“I’ll have a chocolate cone, and Eds’ll have a…” Richie turned to him, raising eyebrows in question.

“Oh, can I have a vanilla cone please?”                                                                                                                                                                                             

“Sure thing, kid.”

 

Soon, the two boys were on their way back, ice cream cones melting in hands while Eddie quickly licked his as to not get his fingers all sticky.

“Why is that guy’s name Surch?” Eddie asks, curious.

“That’s not his actual name” The taller boy laughed, “everyone calls him by his last name because he’ll never tell anyone at camp what his first name is. People think his name must be something super weird. Only Mick knows, but he swore on his life that he’d never tell.”

Eddie scoffed in response, taking another lick of his ice cream. He looked down at his shoes scuffing the rust-colored dust, coating his clean sneakers in dirt. When he looked back up, Richie had an odd expression, as if he were focused specifically on Eddie.

Then he asked something out of the blue.

“What’s a song that makes you really, really happy?” Richie stared at him intently.

“Well, um, I guess there’s a lot.” Eddie laughed nervously. “Okay but Enola Gay, that song gets me in a really good mood. Especially when I want to dance.”

“Oh yeah! I didn’t know you liked Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark. How about The Pointer Sisters?”

“I love them.” He smiled adoringly at Richie’s obvious enthusiasm towards music. If there was one thing he knew about Richie Tozier, it was his complete and utter love and devotion to music. If you named any single eighties band, he’d probably know exactly who it was and twenty other random facts about the band. He was obsessed, and it was pretty cute whenever the boy would talk about this passion. Eddie liked how Richie always wanted to know things about him, as if getting to know Eddie Kaspbrak was the most interesting thing in the world.

Their conversation went on and on, even when they got back to the beach while rest of their friends relaxed in the sun. They talked about random things, funny things, important things, whatever possibly came to mind. Eddie learned things about the Trashmouth that he’d never thought about before, like how he has a sister named Kim who’s going to college, and about funny adventures with Stan and Bill. The conversation came so easy between them, even Eddie told him some things about living in New York that he’d never usually open up to people about.

“It’s nice that you’ve always had such good friends here all your life. It wasn’t really like that for me in Queens. The soccer team were my only friends, but after I had to quit I didn’t really get to hang out with them.”

Eddie liked those days out on the field where he could let everything go for a few moments and focus on something he loved to do. He liked how competitive it was, how the coach would praise him for being the best kid on the team. He liked how his teammates would give him high fives after a good game and they’d all go out for burgers and milkshakes afterwards. He liked how Chris Holland was especially nice to him, sometimes they’d even have sleepovers and do fun things in the city. Chris was the closest thing to a friend Eddie had ever had.

But now Eddie had Richie, and Richie was beyond what he would have imagined in a friend. You could see the caring kindness melt in his umber eyes when he looked at each of his friends, and he liked it when Richie looked at him in that exact way. He also liked when Richie would sometimes brush his skin against Eddie’s when they’d talk real close, or how he’d have an arm around Eddie all the time. The contact was electrifying and new but at the same time it was everything he needed.

Richie Tozier could thaw the thick walls Eddie had built around himself with his warm-hearted smiles and soft touches in a matter of days.

But now, the touches are beginning to mean something. Eddie has no idea what it is, or if the other boy somehow feels the same, but it’s there. The sprouting feeling inside Eddie’s chest whenever the curly-haired boy is around him, it builds every time their eyes lock or hands brush, every time Eddie thinks a little bit too long about the feeling of his chapped lips, or when Eddie will catch Richie staring at him with a lustful expression not meant for him to see.

Eddie can only imagine what this all could mean, but he does know one thing; the feeling is growing. It’s spreading and taking over like a weed, and for some reason Eddie doesn't mind it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is basically the last chapter of setting things up for the story. Things will get a lot more interesting after this chapter but I had to keep it short and boring because I already have some big plans for the next chapter. As always, leave comments! I really love to hear them. Thanks. -Oli


End file.
